[Bioperl-l] Bio::Tools::Run::RemoteBlast return codes

[Chris Fields]

Scott,

I think this is fine (to change the third condition and retry with a specific code).  The other possibility is to simply throw different exceptions under each of these circumstances, which can be caught via eval to allow a retry under only certain conditions (no content, for instance).

One interesting bit: I think (though I'm not sure) the new BLAST+ allows remote BLAST queries from command line, similar to the legacy blastcl3.  Mark just wrote up a BLAST+ wrapper, so it might be worth testing that theory out.

chris

PS - BTW, nice to finally meet you at GMOD!

On Jan 14, 2010, at 4:58 PM, Scott Markel wrote:

> We've been looking at Bio::Tools::Run::RemoteBlast after some feedback
> from our customers.  Due to network irregularities (not sure what else
> to call it) users see the getting of remote BLAST results as somewhat
> random.  When results come back the hits are fine, but sometimes no
> information comes back at all.  Retrying helps.
> 
> In looking at RemoteBlast.pm there are four "return -1" cases.
> 
> * $status eq 'ERROR'      (return on line 614)
> * $line =~ /ERROR/I       (return on line 628)
> * !$got_content           (return on line 648)
> * !$response->is_success  (return on line 655)
> 
> In the case of no content we'd like to retry remote BLAST.  We're happy
> to do that part in our Pipeline Pilot Perl code wrapper for the BioPerl
> module, but we only want to retry in that case, not the other three.
> 
> What would happen if that third "return -1" changed to a different
> return value?
> 
> Scott
> 
> Scott Markel, Ph.D.
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